Under the Microscope: Analyzing Middleweight Greats

Chris Weidman has the look of an all-time great, provided he can stay healthy. | Photo: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

Chris Weidman

* Middleweight Record: 8-0
* Opponent Winning Percentage: .788
* Longest Winning Streak: 12
* Record in Major Middleweight Title Fights: 3-0
* Finish Percentage: 63
* Finished Percentage: 0
* Notable Victories: Anderson Silva (twice), Lyoto Machida, Mark Munoz, Demian Maia
* Career Accomplishments: UFC middleweight champion, with two successful title defenses; four-time UFC “Performance of the Night” winner

CASE FOR: Long Island’s hometown hero has never been bested in his professional career, including all three of his title fights. To go undefeated for six years and to have your entire career be a winning streak is undoubtedly a testament to Weidman’s greatness by itself. On top of that, he has rarely been tested, having dropped only a few rounds ever in the UFC. The “All-American” is often dubbed the new breed of fighter -- and for good reason. He simply has shown zero holes in his game thus far, with stellar wrestling and crisp boxing technique that gets the most out of his already substantial knockout power. He has also shown the cerebral intangibles to adjust mid-fight, his in-cage toughness matched only by the harrowing personal struggles he has faced outside of competition. At 30 years of age, it appears that Weidman should have several years of dominance in store for him, hinting at a scary-good prospective career when it is all said and done.

CASE AGAINST: What can you say about an undefeated champion? In Weidman’s case, plenty. First and foremost, it is still much too early to call it for the New York native, as he has only fought for a little over four years in the UFC, averaging about two fights a year. While he has been good -- and even great -- thus far, as his upset win against Anderson Silva proved, there is always someone else waiting to snatch the belt and stain one’s G.O.A.T. status. Of course, there are anecdotal pieces of evidence that dampen his success, as well, namely how his career-defining wins over Silva have asterisks surrounding them: “The Spider” clowned around in the first fight and suffered a freak accident in the second. However, the biggest question mark surrounding Weidman will be his ability to stay healthy and injury-free, something he has struggled to do for the last year. It is possible that Weidman could go down as the greatest middleweight ever, but to declare him as such right now would be jumping the gun.

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